Sunday 9th July 1916

Near Lozenge Wood, south of Contalmaison

There was continued fighting around Contalmaison throughout 9^th July, and reports of the Germans preparing for a counter attack from the village but any assembly of German troops was dispersed by an artillery barrage; this pattern was repeated throughout the day. 

There was now to be a major revision in the plan for the capture of Contalmaison. A further attempt was to be made on 10^th July, but with the main direction of the assault to be directed from west of the village, rather than from the south as had been attempted to date. In preparation for this, late in the evening, orders were issued for the Battalion to establish machine gun posts which could be used to support the right flank of this renewed attack. The whole Battalion now moved forward. A and B Companies were to be held in close support and dug themselves in to the right of the sunken road which ran from Shelter Wood towards Contalmaison, whilst Battalion Headquarters was established in what had been an underground German bakery on the left of the same road. The bakery was clearly a substantial construction, “about 20 feet below the surface and has two tunnel staircases. It is at present being used by our men as an advanced dressing station. It is quite proof against shell fire”. The task of establishing the machine gun posts was entrusted to D and C Companies, under the command of Capt. Bull (see 13^th June) and Capt. Atkinson (see 3rd June) and supported by fifty sappers from the Royal Engineers. They moved further forward to take over positions held by 1^st Battalion Worcestershire Regiment, just south-east of Peake Woods.

Bull placed the majority of his men (D Company and three platoons from C, with two Lewis Guns) in a section of Shelter Alley between the sunken road and the junction with Quadrangle Trench. A smaller party, consisting of a bombing party, one Lewis Gun and six snipers were to move north-west up Quadrangle Trench from its junction with Shelter Alley and occupy advanced positions south-west of Contalmaison. However, when these parties arrived it became clear that the advanced positions had actually been retaken from the Worcesters by the Germans some thirty-six hours earlier. Nevertheless, it was essential that a more advanced position should be established and the bombing party attacked up Quadrangle Trench. They succeeded in occupying the trench as far as the point where it met the road to Contalmaison but could advance no further as they were by then within sixty yards of the German positions at the southern edge of the village. However, by dawn on 10^th July a position had been established which provided a field of fire for the Lewis Gun team and snipers towards key German positions.

Pte. Claude Smith Slater (see 8^th July), who had been wounded the previous day, died at the field ambulance unit based at Mericourt L’Abbe; he was twenty years old. He was buried at Mericourt L’Abbe Communal Cemetery Extension.

Pte. Claude Smith Slater

L.Cpl. Matthew Best (see 8^th July) who had suffered injuries to his left arm and leg the previous day was evacuated from 70^th Field Ambulance to no.14 General Hospital at Wimereux.

L.Cpl. Matthew Best

Pte. Willie Marsden (see 3^rd February) was appointed (paid) Lance Corporal.

Pte. Patrick Ferguson (see 12^th March), who had been temporarily serving with 23^rd Divisional Tunnelling Company, re-joined the Battalion.

Pte. Isaac Raisman was admitted via 51^st Field Ambulance to 34^th Casualty Clearing Station at Vecquemont, east of Amiens, suffering from shellshock; from there he would be taken next day by no.7 Ambulance Train to hospital (details unknown) in Boulogne. The further details of his treatment are unknown but he would subsequently (date and details unknown) re-join the Battalion. He was a 22 year-old baker from Leeds and had been an original member of the Battalion.

Pte. Arthur Walton (see 7^th June) was wounded, suffering minor injuries to his back; he would be admitted to 23^rd Division Rest Station and would be discharged and re-join the Battalion after six days. 

L.Cpl. Robinson Walker (see 29^th March 1915, when he had been promoted has not been established) was evacuated to 34^th Casualty Clearing Station, suffering from shellshock. The details of his treatment are unknown.

L.Cpl. John William Dickinson (see 3^rd July) was admitted to 23^rd Division Rest Station suffering from a minor case of trench foot; he would be discharged and re-join the Battalion after three days.

Pte. James Leonard Bloomer (see 26^th April), attached to the Base Details Battalion at Etaples, again found himself on a charge; on this occasion he was reported as “being in Paris Plage and producing an altered pass”; he was ordered to be confined to barracks for ten days.

Being sufficiently recovered from his illness, Pte. Harry Smith (see 26^th April) was transferred to 11DWR based at Brocton Camp, Staffordshire.